The journey to acceptance
by LiteralLiterature
Summary: Ryker Grace, a former soldier in the Pokemon war and current rehabilitation patient, is pressured by his family to go on the journey he never completed as a child. With his trusty pokemon by his side, and a whole world in front of him, perhaps things will finally turn around. However, the nations of the war are tense, and any disruptive action could launch another great war.
1. Chapter 1

**After being gone for a while, I've finally decided to try my hand at writing again. This story will alternate between the past and present, while focusing mainly on one character and his Pokemon. It will also take place in the aftermath of the Pokemon War, so be prepared. As always, I do not own Pokemon. All rights go to their original owners. Official song for this Fanfic is Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival. **

_*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*_

_I could hear the Magmortars blasting the beach with their Flamethrower and Flame Burst attacks. The cold seawater hit my face as my platoon's transport ship hit the lowest point on the beach, and the full volume of war hit me the minute I jumped out of the vessel. Immediately, we were bombarded by the surrounding fiery death. A young man next to me was blown back by the heat wave, which seared most of his flesh off. His Vileplume was just a pile of ashes by then. I had only survived because our Sergeant pulled me to the side at the last second. _

_Catching my breathe and uttering many thanks, I caught up with the surviving men, who were currently huddled beneath a pile of sandbags. Bullets attacked the bags, desperately trying to get to the fleshy targets behind them. A few of the younger privates were crying, finally realizing how much shit they were in right now. Captain was barking orders back and forth, and all I could make out was the main objective: Take out the bunkers where the Unovans were hiding, disable the machine guns, and secure the beach. It was easier said than done. _

_Alas, orders were orders, and after a few moments of taking in deep breathes, we charged. The barrage of bullets started up again almost immediately, and we were cut down before we had made it even a few feet. The bunkers were at least fifty feet ahead, and between them and us were dozens of Unovans and their pokemon. What was already left of the platoon had been cut down to only a dozen men or so, and even that number would be cut down soon. Suddenly, there were large bolts of lightning flying from behind me, dropping what Unovans they could. I turned around for only a second, just enough time to see Sarge ordering his Raichu to attack. It was like the rest of us had forgotten we had our own pokemon, and we sent them out to join the battle._

_I called out my Blastoise, and ordered him to dowse what fire pokemon he could with his Hydro Pump. More and more attacks were being called out from our side, and in just a few minutes the battlefield was being ripped apart by electric, water, fire, and ice attacks. Guns were near useless in this type of situation, and the only way you survived was dependant on how fast you could throw out orders. I ordered Blastoise to halt the Hydro Pumps, and use Ice Beam to try and disable the machine guns from our current distance. He had managed to disable one, just as the Unovans began their counterassault. Now it was their turn to throw all different types of attacks at us, except we hadn't prepared for what came next. Dozens and dozens of Garchomps, Dragonites, and Charizards began cutting us down with Dragon type attacks. _

_We couldn't do anything. What ice moves we had were beginning to run out, and the opposing forces were advancing on us. Powerful, purple beams ripped our men apart, leaving only a few body parts to remain. Captain was blasted to shreds, and his left arm and head landed only a few feet from me. I zig zagged as much as I could, but was brought down with a hard hitting Dragon Pulse to my right arm. It was torn clean off, and I was thrown into the blood soaked sand. All I could do was lay there, defeated and screaming in pain. The heat of the attack wasn't enough to cauterize the wound, and I was slowly losing conscious to the amount of blood loss. The sounds of men dying on both sides were starting to fade out, as the darkness began to take my mind away. _

I awoke with a jolt, and ran my left hand along my right arm to make sure it was still there, or at least, to see if the bionic replacement was still there. It was, and I sighed in relief. I put as much effort as I could into crawling out of bed, and after five minutes or so, I succeeded. I shuffled to the closest mirror, and took a look at myself. Despite the ragged appearance of drowsiness, I considered myself to be pretty handsome. I was 6'2, and had a good amount of muscle in my chest and arms. My black hair stuck to my forehead in sweat, but was otherwise short. My eyes, which used to be a lively blue, were now a lost, dull shade of what used to be. My skin was tan, but was physically a wreck. I had many scars running across my body, with the biggest one reaching from my lower back to the top of my left arm.

I did what maintenance I could on my robotic right arm, which was a present from the war, and walked downstairs in a zombie-like fashion. I was greeted by the fresh smells of breakfast, and the screams of a child's laughter. I sat down at the kitchen table, and everyone in the room seemed to notice me. My brother was the first to notice, and his little boy ran over yelling, "Uncle Ryker, Uncle Ryker!" I couldn't help but smile, but frown when I saw the look that his father carried.

"Ryker, we need to talk.", his brother, Jack, said. It carried a serious tone.

"What is it?" I said, still in sleepy voice.

"The rest of the family and I think you need to get outside more, maybe go on another journey. You've been sleeping in and lazing around for the past two years. You haven't talked to anyone except us, and people are starting to think you died." He said.

He was right. I hadn't really been outside for a few months, and even then I didn't venture outside of Pallet Town in years. I reached into my pocket, and pulled out my old trainer card. A picture of a younger me took up most of the plastic, and he seemed so happy. It made me smile, and it also made me make my decision.

"Alright. I'll go. "

**I know, the first chapter is pretty weak. I didn't know how I wanted this chapter to really play out, but I do promise that I'll keep working on it. I appreciate any and all reviews, just don't be an asshole. Thanks for reading, and I hope you stop by again. **


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of the day was, well, interesting. On any normal day, I would have been reliving the memories of the war, and passing out drunk on my bed. It had gone on like that for years. Instead, I was packing for an adventure. An adventure I started as a child but never finished. My bag was full of leftovers from my previous escapades, with some new items in case things got tricky. I pulled out a specific item, a tape recorder, and looked over it. I had used this to record my adventures, after every gym battle or encounter with a new person.

Now, it was just collecting dust in my closet, it's memories fading away much like my potential had. Realizing I had been looking at the item for five minutes, I put it in the smallest slot in my bag, and continued to pack clothes. Most people would find a grown man traveling the country, battling gym leaders, and competing in tournaments weird. This was something only children did, not broken men reaching the end of their prime. Most people my age were getting married, or getting promotions at their jobs. Not this man, however. No, I was finishing what I started.

It took a few hours, but I was finally ready. It was reaching the beginning of the afternoon, and the weather was warm. A perfect day to face a world I had shut out for years. My brother and nephew were waiting by the door, grins on their faces. Well, a grin on my nephew's face, and a forced smile on my brother's. A few hugs and tears later, and I was out the door, on my way towards the edge of town. People were starting to look at me, like they had no idea who I was. I wouldn't blame them, however. No one except my family has seen my face in years. I had made it to the start of Route 1, when I heard yells behind me. Turning around, I saw my brother out of breathe and standing behind me.

"Ryker! You almost forgot something!", He yelled, though I could hear him perfectly. He opened his palm, and resting on it was a medal. More importantly, my medal. Much like my bionic arm, this medal was a memory of a past I didn't want to remember. I earned it because of my services in the war. It was in the shape of an Ultra ball, with small wings protruding from the back of it. An inscription lay on the button: _**Take flight, and protect Kanto with the wings of grace. **_

I smiled wide, whispering the sacred code that every Kantoan soldiers knew by heart.

"Thanks, Jack. This will help me more than you know.", I said, smiling once again.

"Just...be careful, alright? The world is much more different than the first time you set out.", He replied, concern in his voice.

I nodded in agreement, and turned back to the route slowly. Taking a few deep breathes, I took my first few steps onto Route 1. I turned back again, but my brother was already gone. I looked down at the lone pokeball on my belt. It held my best friend, and my partner in action. Knowing that he hated being in the ball, I called him out. What materialized in front of me was a beast of war, but a really adorable beast of war.

"BLAAASSTOISE!", He yelled, stretching and yawning. Blastoise looked at me, and smiled. He knew we were beginning on another journey, and he couldn't be more excited. However, he was still pissed that I kept him in the ball for that long, and proceeded to throw me twenty feet back with a powerful Hydro Pump.

"I deserved that.", I said with a big grin on my face. Blastoise reached one paw down, and helped me up. After my clothes were moderately dry, we began to walk down the large route towards Viridian City. The route itself was pretty basic. Only a few minor turns in the path, and the wild pokemon were completely harmless. No other place on the planet could be as peaceful as this route.

After about half an hour of walking, we came across our first opponent. A small pidgey. Blastoise would gain no experience from battling this small bird, but it wouldn't hurt for him to get back in the game, and this was a better than any chance to start. "Alright Blastoise, try not to kill it.", I said, with genuine concern in my voice. This tiny animal couldn't handle a full power Ice Beam, so Blastoise needed to tone it-

*THUNK*

I jumped out of my thoughts just in time to see Blastoise thrown into a large oak tree, and the opponent nowhere in sight. The only other thing on the route was the small pidgey, with a ignorant look on it's face. Blastoise was just starting to get back up when a powerful blast of wind pushed him back further.

"What the hell is going on?!", I yelled, as the opponent had yet to show itself. Suddenly, the pidgey began to hop closer to me, and a dark aura was beginning to surround the small bird. It rose into the air, and its eyes filled with a vengeful fire. Blastoise was finally standing up after the beating he took, and it didn't go unnoticed by the pidgey. The wild animal raised its wings, and soared into the air. It began to take a nosedive in the direction of Blastoise, who have been more scared than he was right now.

The small bird crashed into the behemoth turtle, and sent the latter sailing at least fifty feet. This time, the turtle didn't get up. I recalled him into his ball, and looked at the tiny creature with horror plastered on my face. The pidgey turned towards me once again, and advanced. It had a murderous glare in its eyes, and it was licking its beak. I pulled out a great ball, and threw it at the animal, but the pidgey just swatted it away. Taking the wise man's way out, I began to run away. The Viridian limits were coming up fast, but the small devil creature was coming up faster. It tackled me down, and began to peck my face. I batted and swatted as much as I could, but it had the strength of a thousand men.

There was a rustling in the bushes next to me, and the pidgey was distracted for a split second. I took the opportunity and smashed a Great ball into its face, absorbing it into the life saving machine. Three dreadful clicks later, and the devil was caught. I fell backwards, and took a long breath of relief. After about five minutes, I stood up, and looked towards the city. Remembering something, I took the tape recorder out and pressed play.

"This is Ryker Grace, former Corporal in the army and current Pokemon Trainer. As I have reached the age of 28, so have I reached the limits of my solidarity life. Today is the first day that I take the steps to recovery, and the steps to acceptance. Leaving behind my hometown and family, I have decided to finish the journey that I began as a child. Today is the day that I take flight."

**I'm sorry the story is going so slow. I want to build the character up a bit before the actual action begins, so that you're already in love with him in the first few chapters. Things will start to pick up next chapter, so I hope you stop by again. Please review if you can. **


End file.
